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First defense against swine flu - seasonal vaccine
WASHINGTON, July 24 (Reuters) - U.S. health officials strengthened their recommendations for seasonal flu vaccines on Friday, saying all children aged 6 months to 18 years should be immunized - especially because of the H1N1 flu pandemic.
The seasonal vaccine provides little or no protection against H1N1 swine flu, but immunization will help prevent people from being infected with both at once and can help minimize the effects of the pandemic on schools, workplaces and the economy in general, health experts say.
"Vaccination against seasonal influenza should begin as soon as vaccine is available and continue throughout the influenza season," Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters in a telephone briefing.
"At this point, 83 percent of the population is recommended to get an annual flu vaccine," she said. "Unfortunately, only about 40 percent of the U.S. population received the flu vaccine last year."
Read the full press release here »
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